


What is Love

by OlicityIBelieve



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 3x20 Speculation, Angst, F/M, Nanda Parbat, Promo inspiration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 04:29:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3715057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlicityIBelieve/pseuds/OlicityIBelieve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Morning After their First time in Nanda Parbat - Inspired by What Is Love by V. Bozeman</p>
            </blockquote>





	What is Love

She couldn’t stop touching him. Her hands were like magnetized by the warmth of his skin, her body already addicted to the sensations he would create in her by the simple contact of their bodies. Her head rested on his left shoulder, her fingers flying over the burn scar on his right pec. She didn’t want to wake him up but she couldn’t stop. He looked so peaceful, dozing off as they were both recovering from round #3. For the first time of her entire life, she felt like she could never have enough of a man. Their connection had always been powerful but she couldn’t have imagined the intensity of their physical interaction. Her fingers left his pectoral to trace the scar down his sternum, the one that Ra’s Al Ghul left on him, marking him forever.

She was fighting sleep now but she didn’t want this moment to end – she didn’t want to forget any of this, she wanted to engrave every single detail on her memory. The sensation of his thumbs on her thighs, of his hands on her ass, his breath and mouth on her nipples, his moan when she straddled him, the small movements of her hips driving him to the edge, the catch in his breath when she dropped to her knees in front of him, offering him much more than he had ever dreamed of, the tenderness underneath the passion of his kiss when she rose back up on her feet, the emergency that was theirs for their bodies to fully connect, her shaking body when he finally released her from an intense and  devastating orgasm, the way he twitches in her when he followed her in pure bliss. Eyes still closed, Oliver chuckled silently before interlacing his fingers with hers.

“Sleep Felicity” he said in a smile.

He kissed the top of her head softly, smiling against her hair. He kissed her fingertips, one by one, back and forth, on and on. The ongoing pattern of his kisses rocked her to sleep and after kissing the crook of his neck, she let go and surrendered to her exhaustion.

 

  

_I would tell you that I love you tonight_

_But I know that I’ve got time on my side_

_Where you goin'? Why you leavin' so soon?_

_Is there somewhere else that’s better for you?_

_What is love if you’re not here with me?_

_What is love if it’s not guaranteed?_

_What is love if it just ups and leaves?_

_What is love if you're not here no more?_

_What is love if you’re not really sure?_

_What is love? What is love?_

 

The cold air made her shiver, forcing her exposed left hand and shoulder to hide back under the blanket. She didn’t know if the chilly sensation was coming from the outside or from the nightmare that was hers only a few seconds ago. Instinctively, she reached out for him, seeking the safety of his arms and the shelter of his love, sliding her left arm across his side of the bed. She only found emptiness. _He was not here anymore._ Her eyes flew open under the realization and she propped herself on her right elbow, making sure the sheet covered her nudity. It didn’t take long for her to localize him by the balcony doors.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up but…” he whispered, pointing outside. The rain was torrential, a thick curtain between Nanda Parbat and the outside world. She finally noticed the rolling thunder in the distance, the overwhelming noise of the rain on the stone structure and the blown out candles. She nodded in silence, her body relaxing instantly, while he shut the heavy metallic doors. She admired shamelessly the body of the man she gave her soul to. He was glorious in his nudity and as much as she had memorized every inch of his warm skin and physique hours ago, she couldn’t help but to feel a wave of desire running through her veins. She bit her lower lip to prevent an indecent sigh to escape her mouth.

The room now protected from the storm, his look went back on her, never breaking eye contact until he was only a few inches from her, hovered on top of her. He brushed his thumb against her bottom lip, breaking it free from her teeth, before his right palm covered her cheek.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere Felicity” Oliver murmured against her lips before kissing her softly. He didn’t expect the passion who took over her as their skins touched each other. He should have known better. She proved him the passionate, generous and tender lover she was, making him fall in love with her even more, if possible. He had loved her for her soul for so long. Now he knew that her body was the perfect continuity of her mind, an addictive and healing nectar he would never be replete with.

Both her arms reached for his neck and pulled him towards her. Unmistakably willing to feel him against her, she let an appreciative moan escape her throat when he gave up under the pressure of her arms and let his body weight rest on her petite frame. He smiled under her kiss, unable to contain the happiness he felt at that particular moment. She broke the kiss, pushing a bit more against the pillow to examine his face. She scratched the back of his head lightly, her nails softly running through his soft hair. She looked at him intensely for a few seconds before whispering “I love you Oliver”.

He didn’t need to answer her back, his eyes speaking the truth for him. He closed the space between them once more and for the next hour, he showed her the very essence of love, body and soul, desire and adoration.

 

_Tell myself I wouldn't cry when you're gone_

_But I know it's easier said than done_

_Look at me, look at me choked up now_

_Try to tell you but it won't come out_

 

_What is love if you’re not here with me?_

_What is love if it’s not guaranteed?_

_What is love if it just ups and leaves?_

_What is love if you're not here no more?_

_What is love if you’re not really sure?_

_What is love if it just ups and goes?_

 

This time, she knew it was different. She knew that what she feared most happened. She barely remembered him sliding off the bed, kissing her cheek as he repeated words of love against her ear. She had been weak enough to allow sleep to steal their last moments together.

When she joined him last night, she knew without a doubt that it would be their only opportunity to be themselves, to give up on their love for a few hours. They had nothing to lose as they knew they were about to lose each other the following day, Oliver accepting the darkness of his fate among the League of Assassins. No regret or excruciating pain could ever make her question her decision. She loved Oliver. He loved her. There was no choice to make. Despite the resolution of her mind, her heart couldn’t bear the agonizing feeling of emptiness surrounding her. She wouldn’t get to experience his love again, to feel his passion against her skin, to taste his love on his lips. Tears pricked her eyes before slowly running down her nose and her cheek, falling on the pillow.

Refusing to let herself falling apart when the man she loved was about to sacrifice his soul and their love to save his sister, she stood up, shivering in the cold humidity of Nanda Parbat. She gathered her things and dressed up quickly, ignoring the soreness of her body and the pain of her heart. As best as she could without a brush to help her, she put her hair up in a ponytail, securing it with a hair tie found in her pocket. She noticed her glasses on the floor. She pinched her lips to overcome the sadness flooding through her heart, breathed deeply and put them on. She glanced at her reflection in the small mirror against the wall. Mechanically, her hand reached for the bruised skin of her neck, last evidence of her heated night with Oliver. She tucked on the side of her jacket to hide the marks of their passion, smoothed her hair one last time and opened Oliver’s room door. Without a glance, she left the room where, for a night, they lived the life they dreamed about.

 

_I can’t live without ya (I can’t live without ya)_

_I can’t live with ya (I can’t live with ya)_

_What goes around will come right back around_

_You won't know 'til it hit ya_

_We were supposed to be_

_We were supposed to be_

_We were supposed to be an empire_

 

It hadn’t been hard to find where he was. Where they all were. The entire population of Nanda Parbat was gathered in the biggest room of the fortress. Servants, assassins, executioners – all were here to witness the emergence of Al Sah-Him. In a few seconds, they would be no going back possible. His fate, her fate, their fate would be sealed. She took a few steps closer, finding John’s familiar frame. He sensed her approach and placed an arm around her shoulders.

“You shouldn’t be here Felicity” he stated calmly, his voice strong and reassuring despite the circumstances.

“There’s nowhere else I want to be” she replied, the weakness of her voice betraying her emotion.

Bile rose up her throat when she realized Oliver was in the middle of the room, ropes holding his wrists, securing his immobility. He was not directly facing her but she could see the smallest detail of his features. The tension in his jaw, the heaviness of his breathing, the stiffness of his chest, the sacrifice in his eyes. If he felt her presence in the room, he didn’t show any sign of it, imperturbable in the solemnity of the moment. Behind him were Ra’s Al Ghul and the priestess, by the fire pit. The flames were covering an arrow-shaped iron which purpose was more than obvious to Felicity. She shook her head in denegation, not willing to accept the suffering of the man she loved.

Ra’s started talking in a forgotten dialect, the guttural sounds of his voice sending shivers through her spine. Her repugnance for this man overwhelmed her when he grabbed the iron and approached it from Oliver’s back. Felicity’s covered her mouth and shut her eyes down for a second, the emotion of losing Oliver stabbing her in the chest. Diggle’s grip hardened on her, helping her to stay strong and still. She opened her eyes as she felt more than she heard the softest moan coming from Oliver’s throat. The iron entered in contact with his skin, burning his flesh, marking his soul forever. He kept his eyes open, shaking under the pain but never giving up against it. The concentration filling his eyes a few seconds ago had been washed away by resignation and acceptance.

After what felt like an eternity, the iron was taken away under the acclamation of a jubilating crowd.

Oliver’s head dropped, his body giving up for a second against the shock.

“We need to move Felicity” Diggle urged, dragging her away from the crowd, away from Nanda Parbat, fulfilling his promise to Oliver to keep Felicity safe after his accession to the League of Assassins.

No, she couldn’t! She couldn’t leave him like this, alone, wounded, surrounded by strangers, deprived of love. She tried to fight Diggle’s grip to look at Oliver one more time, to memorize what she hadn’t had time to capture the night before. The eternal love in his eyes, the smile on his face, the noise of his laugh. Felicity fought to experience this one more time, to hope that one day, maybe, she could see Oliver again.

In the chaos of the moment, she heard above the crowd noise “Oliver Queen is Dead, long live Al Sah-Him”.

Tears flooded her vision, making her world even less real as she struggled against John. Her entire world was crumbling under her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Diggle and Felicity finally reached the common room exit. Before leaving forever, Felicity turned around once last time. Oliver was still on his knees but his head was up now. His eyes was on her, the look on his face similar to the one he had last night. _I love you Felicity._

Felicity’s heart shattered into a million pieces under the intensity of his gaze, the promise of a future he would fight for, the confidence of his love for her, the faith he had on them.

The crowd engulfed him and, in a second, he disappeared from her sight.


End file.
